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The Wonderful World of Disney World Dining!

I’m a BIG Disney fan as you may all I know. I had asked my friend Kate (who I met on a Contiki tour to Europe back in 2008) and who is also a Disney fanatic as well and is actually lucky enough to work for the Mouse at Walt Disney World if she would like to write a guest post here while I am in South Dakota for the rest of the week for my cousin Erin’s Wedding (Yes, I know we have the same name! She was actually named after me and has a middle name after another cousin or so we say anyways 😉 Who better to ask than her about tips on places to eat while at Disney World? I would LOVE to take a trip to Florida and visit Disney World again (as well as go on a Disney Cruise again!!!) I hope you enjoy her ideas and tips on how to plan out your dining adventures while in the parks at Disney World! Thanks Kate for the great ideas!

Disney World Dining Tips
By Kate

Planning a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort can at times be a daunting task. This is with good reason, with 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, a shopping district, over 20 resort hotels and countless (and I mean countless) numbers of dining options, it’s no wonder people sometimes get overwhelmed. After countless family vacations and years of working at the parks, I can offer one small piece of advice. If you are anything like my family you will treasure this little nugget like it is real gold. Base your day on food. I’m serious. I know, Florida’s hot and the thought of eating a big, heavy meal before going on Space Mountain might not sit well with some, but trust me. The dining options the Walt Disney World Resort offers are some of the best meals and experiences your family and you will have while visiting. The only sad part is, as one of my friends said on her first visit, you can’t hit them all.

Regardless of the vast options, there are simple ways to go about eating your way through the parks. First, know that several dining options are available, from fast food to fine dining. With something that will please everyone’s palette, from traditional Italian, to world class steak houses, authentic Japanese sushi and even standard mac and cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the kids, everyone can walk away happy and satisfied. Second, when planning, don’t automatically assume that Day 1 will be at Magic Kingdom, Day 2 at Epcot, etc., check out what dining options are available and plan your day in that park. For example, if you choose to eat in Italy at Epcot’s World Showcase on Day 3, plan on visiting that park as well so that you aren’t running from park to park just to make a dining reservation. Speaking of Italy, the dining options in Epcot’s World Showcase offer some of the best and most authentic cuisine. Here’s another tip, I always ask my waiter or waitress what their favorite dish is, or what on the menu seems most like “home” to them. In Norway I once tried a dish that resembled a personal meatloaf all because the waiter said it reminded him of home and his mom. It was delicious! Remember the waiters and waitresses are from that country. They will not steer you wrong, I promise!

While some of the sit down restaurants offer pricey dishes, even the thriftiness of vacationers can find something to revive their energy after a long day of park hopping. One way to get the most “bang for your buck”, is combining dinner and a show such as the Fantasmic Dining Package. The set price includes an appetizer, entrée, dessert, beverage and priority seating to the nighttime show Fantasmic for each person in the dining party. What better way to introduce a first timer to the park than a filling, gourmet meal followed by an exciting show? The savings comes in the combination of paying a set price versus a la carte pricing¸ and you also get the benefit of preferred seating.

Big sit down meals are not the only option. If that’s not on the agenda, no worries, there are still plenty of tasty options throughout property that you can enjoy. At the Magic Kingdom don’t miss getting a Dole Whip in Adventureland. This tasty pineapple treat is refreshing and one of the most popular items in the park. Casey’s on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom offers delicious hot dogs and fries (cracker jacks too!) at a reasonable price and right across the street in the ice cream parlor is the most delicious sundae served with a mountain of hot fudge in a waffle bowl. That’s a great meal! If you had to ask me what my favorite find in the Magic Kingdom was though, I’d have to say a hot baked potato at the fruit stand in Liberty Square. At just around $3, this potato comes with all your favorite toppings and is definitely satisfying. Even the resorts have great options. The Polynesian has a fantastic sushi bar on the upper level of the main building and the new quick service restaurant at the Art of Animation Resort puts a new twist on a sandwich with the Surf and Surf burger. It’s a crab cake topped with fried popcorn shrimp. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

I could really talk for days about all the wonderful dining options the Walt Disney World Resort offers. While I might have glossed over the options, there is some advice that will work much better than any restaurant recommendation I can give. Sift through the menus on the Walt Disney World website, most restaurants offer them. Choose something new and exciting for at least one meal. If you’ve always wondered about escargot, then book that reservation at Chefs de France! The Cast will do everything in their power to make sure you have an enjoyable dining experience and I can bet you won’t be sorry for exploring something new on vacation. Bon appetit!

It has always been our dream to go to Disney World. And even though our children are now grown, it is still a “someday” dream. My husband loves to travel on his stomach, so any trip that centers around the food is a winner for him.

I appreciate your experience and advice. Disney World is so big, I would have had no idea where to start planning a trip like this. We did go to Disneyland often, both when we were children, and then when our own children were children. It was always my #1 goal to have a good time and that NO ONE WOULD CRY.

Planning a trip around food, making sure everyone is eating BEFORE the grumpies come, and finding something for everyone’s palate is part of making a memorable family vacation.

Oh eating at WDW is my FAVORITE!! When I was younger, we TOTALLY used to base our day around the dining. And with Park Hoppers, it makes it INSANELY easy to get around. We used to spend half the day at one park, have a great lunch, then go back to the hotel, lay by the pool, endure the heat of the day and pick where we were going to eat for dinner. Usually it was Epcot, and that way we could spend the rest of the afternoon/evening at the other park, as well as eating a fabulous meal! Morocco at the World Showcase is my favorite 🙂 Try the bastilla, it’s AMAZING.

i LOVED going to Disney as a child and now that we are back in SoCal and close enough to a Disney to go without buying plane tickets or staying in a hotel — we\’ll be jaunting off soon for an adventure with our children. thank you for sharing!!

I’ve been to Disney World twice in my life. One as a child and once as an adult. I’m the type of person that never puts too much thought into the food when going on vacation. I’m beginning to learn about the possibilities, however, it’s always the lowest priority especially when there’s so much to see in the theme parks 😉

But these sounded like some great options. One of my favorites for food was walking around Epcot and catching some of their worldly fares.

I totally loveeeeee disney food!! hahaha theres no better place to jump from mexican, to italian to japanese!! so glad we are connected now!!
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